Drilling barge



PI'l 8 1941- w. J. cRlTES ET Al. 2,237,387

DRILLING BARGE Filed June 28, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet l pril 8, 1941. w. .1.cRm-:s ET AL.

DRILLING BARGE Filed June 28, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR W. J.CRITES P. C. MURPHY M2@ #gk/wb 0 AT N YS pril 8, 1941. w. J. cRlTEs ETAl. 2,237,387

DRILLING BARGE Filed June 28, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR W.J. CRITESPC. MURPHY pril 8, 1941. w. J. CRITES ETAL.

DRILLING BARGE Filed June 28, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR W. J.CRITES P.C. MURPHY BY MMI ff Patented Apr. 8, 1941 DRILLING BARGE WilburJ. Crites, Bartlesville, Okla., and Paul C. Murphy, Houston, Tex.,assignors to Phillips Petroleum Company, a corporation of DelawareApplication June 28, 1939, Serial No. 281,720

(Cl. (i1-46) 6 Claims.

This invention relates to a barge which has drilling apparatus mountedthereon to be used in drilling wells in land submerged by water such aslakes, rivers, marshes and particularly for use in open sea drilling,

The idea of drilling wells in land submerged by Water is not a newdevelopment, since pilings have been sunk heretofore to provide aplatform from which drilling operations could proceed. This proved to bean expensive operation and limited as to the depth of water in whichdrilling operations could be carried on. As exploration methods oflocating oil ilelds developed, it was found that more and more oil islocated in reservoirs covered with a body oi water. l

Numerous attempts have been made to drill from barges which could befloated into place and removed when the well was completed, the mostnotable along this line being the barge, shown in the Gillasso Patent1,681,533 issued August 21, 1928. The Giliasso structure is limited asto the depth of water in which it can be used and iurther, it is not soWell adapted for open sea drilling. The Giliasso barge is suited fordevelopmen-t in inland waters of shallow depths or marshes where it ispossible to dredge a foundationupon which the barge may rest. In the useof this barge it is necessary that certain denite depth ranges be notexceeded for it has no adjustments for levels other than that which isal-l lowed by the depth of the barge and the height of the substructure.

In open water drilling it is necessary if a barge is used that some'auxiliary means of adjusting the height of the barge below or at thenormal water level be used. This is on account ofthe varying depths andnon-uniform contours in open water that are not so :frequentlyencountered in inland waters.

It is an object of this invention to provide a drilling barge to be usedin drilling operations over a body of water particularly on the opensea.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a drilling bargewhich is fully equipped for drilling a well, can be towed to the sceneof operations, anchored to the bottom and be towed away when the well isnished.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent duringthe course of the `following description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, andin which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughoutthe same- Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the whole assembly ofthe barge showing the same anchored to the bottom,

Figure 2 is a plan view of the iioor of the barge,

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the barge showing the pilingmembers in position under the bottom o1' the barge,

Figure 4 is a sectional view of the piling taken through section A-A ofFigure 5,

Figure 5 is an elevational view of the top of the piling showing themeans of fastening the barge to the piling when anchored,

Figure 6 shows a sectional view of the clamping means used to anchor thebarge and piling, and

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing a conductor pipe running fromthe barge to a tender,

Figure 8 is an elevational view of a pipe support bracket vattached tothe top of the piling to support the pipe, i

Figure 9 is a diagrammatic view showing corner bracing means for thebarge, and

Figure 10 shows the bracing means in elevation.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration, is shown apreferred embodiment of our invention, the numeral I0 represents themain body of the barge having the smooth, sloping ends and sides I I.The end and side portions are made in this fashion in order to minimizethe impact forces from the waves. The waves in hitting the bargel willbe guided by the gentle slope and not be completely stopped. The bottomoi' the barge is a series of truncated cone receptacles I2 which receivethe bottoms Il of the piling I3 when the bargel is being towed in openWater. Further, while the truncated cone receptacles on the bottom ofthe barge form a protection for the bottoms of the piling when the bargeis in motion, this feature also tends to reenforce the barge body. Thebottom of the barge might have been made flat and in a single plane withthe piling as shown in detail, however, if this is done it would benecessary to internally brace the rectangular construction of the bargeto the ex tent that it greatly increases the cost of construction.

The piling members I3 telescope through openings I5 in the barge bodyand are lled with water to lower them to the bottom of the body ofwater. The bottom of the piling has the truncated cone base, or the basemay be pyramidal or rectangular, if desired, portion I4 connected to thepiling member I3 by means of the universal joint I6. The bottom of thebase I4 is concaved as at II so that a Wacuum cup eect will be had whenthe y members Ill rest vin thev receptacle members I2.

It is to be understood that the piling members I3 may be'made sectional,so that their length may be increased as desired. It now becomesnecesthe barge and the portion I9 of the barge is an opening in thebarge to allow drilling operations to proceed. Casing 2@ extends fromthe door of the derrick to the bottom ci the bodyof Water` and the drilltubing opens within the casing 20. On the left of the derrick is locateda mud pit ZI having suitable pumps to maintain acirculationn of the mudnuid during drilling operations. The mud pit is elevated to prevent theWaves from breaking on the side walls of thebarge and diluting thedrilling fluid. On the right of the derrick is a rack 22 for supportingdrill tubing and casing when not in use.

As shown in Figure 2, the main barge body IIJ is made in two sections 23and 24, which sections cluded and it becomes necessary to move to a newlocation, the barge must be separated into sections in order to removeit from the well. The bolts holding the tlangesof the two sectionstogether are removed and each section is then 'towed away, thus leavingthe well just drilled'intact and without harm or injury. Each section isthen towed to the new location and reassembled and drilling operationsstart anew.

Mounted on the barge body I and rigidly attached thereto are thethimbles 25 through which the piling members I3 are free to telescope.The thimble 25 has windows 2S therein and wedge members 21 are drivenbetween the piling members I3 and sleeve member 25 to hold the bargerigidly attached to the piling members. The slip Windows 26 allow theslips to be removed when the barge is to be moved.

The problem of the piles rotating on their axes, which would not beobjectionable in the case of the truncated cone base, might causeconsiderable trouble with a rectangular or pyramidal base. Therefore,means are provided to prevent rotation of the piling and may take theform of guide rails incorporated below the deck of the bargesubstructure so that a key slot in the pile may be engaged with a keyinsert in the slot in the piling Iand guide rail to thus prevent turningof the piling in raising and lowering. The key will be removable andonly used in the raising and lowering operation.

In the operation of the barge the drilling equipment including the rig,drawworks, drill pipe, pumps, in fact everything except the boilers andfuel tanks which are mounted on a separate barge, are all put inreadiness while the barge is in port. The barge sections 23 and 24 aretherefore fully equipped and made ready to start drilling operations inport. The barge sections 23 and 24 are then towed to location with thebarge section 23 which carriesA the derrick, being first centered overthe location where drilling is to proceed. The bay I9 is centered over`the hole and the barge section 24 is moved into the bay and the twosections 22 and 24 are `ioined together by 75 sary to anchor the basemembers I4 of the pilings on the bottom and this is accomplished byiilling the piling members with water. This robs the piling members oftheir buoyancy and causes them to fall to the bottom and the basemembers I4- accommodate themselves to Whatever contour they mayencounter in view of the universal joint I6. This procedure is followeduntil all of the piling members are securely anchored on the bottorn.vDuring this time the barge has been free to telescope, or move up anddown on the piling I3 through the opening I5 on the barge body and thesleeve 25. With the pilings'IS all in place, water is pumped into thebarge body IIl until the barge has lowered its level at least to thepoint that the deck is even with the normal water level. Frominvestigations made by applicants to determine the governmentalrequirements for craft of this type, considerable thought was given tothe eilect of the impact'forces of the waves on a barge of this type. Itwas learned that there is very little, if any, impact at or below thenormal water level. For this reason the deck of the barge is set at thelevel of the water or slightly below the normal water level. The slips21 are then placed in engagement with the piling I3 through the slipwindows 26 and more water will be pumped into the barge to make theanchorage secure.

Drilling operations are now ready to proceed and the well is drilledjust the same as if the derrick had been set up on land, the onlydifference being that the drilling proceeds through a casing in thewater area in order to keep up a mud circulati'on for drilling purposes.Applicants make no claim to novelty for the drilling or drillingapparatus. their sole contribution being a support for the drillingapparatus over water. Should there be at any time a sinking of any partof the barge which would cause it to tip, it is only necessary to pumpWater out of the barge, release the slips, re-engage them and pump waterback into the barge in order to level the whole structure.

After the drilling is completed, suicient water is pumped out of thebarge to relieve any pressure on the pilings. To make the pilingsbuoyant, water is then pumped out of the piling members, and they areallowed to rise through the sleeve 25 and opening I5 in the barge. Ifthe pilings I3 are in sections, they are uncoupled and the sections areplaced on the barge oor. The base I4 ts into the receptacle I2 in thebottom of the barge and by means of the sleeves 25 and slips 21 thepilings may be clamped in this position for transportation purposes.Those pilings which are not pulled loose from the bottom by their ownbuoyancy, will be pulled loose by the buoyancy of the barge. Water ispumped back into the barge body to lower the same several inches. Theslips 21 are then used in reverse by insertion through the slip windows26 on the piling members 'which have not been pulled loose. Water isthen pumped out of the barge and the buoyant force of the barge is thentransmitted as a pulling force on the piling members to thus pull themloose from the bottom. After all the pilings are loose, the sections 23and 24 are sepa- Vrated by removing the bolts holding them together andboth are pulled away from the well to a new location.

As has been previously stated applicants contemplate a separate barge tocarry the boilers for steam and Figures 'I and 8 show details of thisarrangement. The drilling barge is represented at I in Figure 7 and theboiler barge at 30. To support the pipe 3l running from barge 3U tobarge I0 where the steam is used to drive the drilling equipment, aseries of piles 32, the same as used to support the barge Ill areemployed'. The piles 32 are set on a straight line between the twobarges III and and are sunk to the bottom by pumping them full of water.Pipe support 33 is then hooked by means of the hook portion 34 into theopen ended top 33 of each piling. The seat portion 3B of the support 33forms a support for the pipe 3|. To allow for the different depths atwhich the piling members 32 may be sitting, the support 33 has openings31 into which bolts 38 may t to adjust the length of the supportingmember to keep the pipe in a straight line.

Figures 9 and 10 show means for stabilizing the barge when drilling indepths of water greater than the length of the barge. The drilling bargeis represented at I0 and the points 4I, 42, 43, and 44 represent pointsat which piling means 45 are sunk to the bottom. These piling membersare the same as previously described and are tied together at points 4|,42, 43, and 44. Bracing members 46, 41, 48 and 49 run from each cornerof the barge to the points 4I, 42, 43, and 44 and in this manner addstability to the barge.

It is to be understood that the form of our in- Vention, herewith shownand described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and

that various changes in the shape, size, and ara rangement of parts maybe resorted to, without departing from the spirit of our invention, overthe scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described our invention, we claim: 1. A barge for drillingoil wells located under a body of water comprising a main barge body,piling members carried by the barge body into which water is pumped toanchor the piling to the bottom of the body of water, connector meanscarr ricci by the barge for connecting the barge to the piling memberswhen said piling members are anchored and said piling members beingbuoyant when unwatered so as to be lifted from the bottom of the body ofwater and the barge iloated away when drilling is completed.

2. A barge for drilling oil wells located under a body of watercomprising a main barge body made in sections, means for holding thesections in assembled relation over the well, piling members carried bythe barge body into which water is pumped to anchor the piling to thebottom of the body of water, connector means carried by the barge forconnecting the barge to the piling members when said piling members areanchored and said piling members being buoyant when unwatered so as tobe lifted from the bottom of the body of water and the barge iioatedaway when drilling is completed.

3. A barge for drilling oil wells located under a body of watercomprising a main barge body. piling members carried by the barge bodyinto which water is pumped to anchor the piling to the bottom of thebody of water, openings vin the bottom oi` the barge body through whichthe piling members pass, a sleeve over the opening in the barge body andconnected to the barge body through which the piling members pass,clamping means passing between the sleeve and piling to connect thebarge to the piling and said piling members being buoyant when unwateredso as to be lifted from the bottom of the body of water and the bargeoated when drilling is completed.

4. A barge for drilling oil wells located undex` a body of watercomprising a main barge body, the barge body being reenforced on thebottom by a series of depressed portions, piling members carried by thebarge body into which water is pumped to anchor the piling to the bottomof the body of water, connector means carried by the barge forconnecting the barge to the piling members when said piling is anchored,said piling members being buoyant when unwatered so as to be lifted fromthe bottom of the body of water and the barge floated away when drillingis completed and the depressed portions in the bottom of the barge bodyreceiving the head portion on the bottom of the piling members when thebarge is floated.

5. A barge for drilling oil wells located under a body ofl watercomprising a main barge body, piling `members carried by the barge bodyinto which water is pumped to anchor the piling to the bottom of thebody of water, pumping water into the barge body to sink the top of thebarge body to the top of the water level, connector means carried by thebarge for connecting the barge to the piling members when said pilingmembers are anchored, said piling members and barge body being buoyantwhen unwatered so the piling can be lifted from the bottom of the bodyof water and the barge iloated away when drilling is completed.

6. A barge for drilling oil wells located under a body of watercomprising a main barge body, piling members carried by the barge bodyinto which water is pumped to anchor the piling to the bottom of thebody of water, pumping water into the barge body to sink the top of thebarge body to the top of the water level, connector means carried by thebarge for connecting 'the barge to the piling members when said pilingmembers are anchored, said barge body being unwatered and the buoyancyof the barge used to lift the piling from the bottom and said pilingmembers being unwatered so as to be lifted from the bottom by theirbuoyancy and floated away with the barge.

WILBUR J. CRITES. PAUL C. MURPHY.

